Last Act in Palmyra

Quite a number of authors have jumped on the sleuth in Ancient Rome bandwagon, but Lindsey Davis is probably the best of the lot. Her leading character Marcus Didius Falco has been sent out of Rome on a dangerous mission to spy out the Lands of the East. An Imperial order sends him and his girlfriend Helena Justina, the daughter of a Senator to the rose red city of Petra. There they discover a murdered playwright. Falco feels obliged to investigate the murder and soon becomes embroiled in more murder and mayhem, making him wish he had not left his beloved Rome. All the author's books have been entertaining and of a very high standard, this one is no different.

I don't care what everyone else had to say about this book. I really enjoyed it. It was rollicking good fun. Didio and his beautiful Helena are on the road again, this time in Syria, and they join up with a travelling group of performers. The antics and adventures that they get into during the book are hilarious. The actual catching of the killer is done in the most unique way (as part of a performance). Falco gets better with each outing. Ms. Davis' writing is sparkling with wit, and her characters breathe! This book is back to a real whodunit format, and that was fun as well. Bring on the rest!

This was one of the more enjoyable Falco mysteries. I'm a great fan of Shakespeare, and Lindsey Davis's many references to the bard are hilarious. The way she portrays theatre life and it's stereotypical components are very amusing, and the ending left me rolling on the floor with laughter.

Unlike some readers, I felt no disappointment in Last Act in Palmyra. If anything, it contained more creativity than the other books in the series as well as an intentionally Shakespearesque tying together of loose ends by the conclusion. The supporting characters were all interesting and mostly sympathetic, if slightly more 2-dimensional than usual for Lindsey Davis.Thoroughly enjoyable book!

Marcus Didius Falco returns, this time on a mission to discover a missing water-organist. While travelling through a number of Greek cities, he stumbles upon a murder - nothing ever changes - and he finds himself joining a group of actors to try to find the killer. This is like a humorous version of Mary Renault's The Mask of Apollo in many ways. There is an incredibly large amount of possible suspects, and the scenes leading up to the denoumont make for exciting reading. Still, a few of the Falco icons, such as his money-grubbing landlord and his friend Petro, are noticeable by their absence. Can't wait for Time to Depart